Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to electrical connectors, and more particularly to an improvement in an electrical connector provided to be fixed to and connected electrically with a circuit board device, such as a main solid circuit board of an electronic apparatus, and to have a plurality of conductive contacts for coming into press-contact with connecting terminals provided on a flat circuit device, such as a flexible printed circuit board (hereinafter, referred to as an FPC) or a flexible flat cable assembly (hereinafter, referred to as an FFC), so as to put the connecting terminals on the flat circuit device in electrical connection with the circuit board device.
Description of Related Art Including Information Disclosed Under 37 CFR 1.97 and 37 CFR 1.98
A flat circuit device, such as a relatively small-sized FPC or FFC, used in electronic apparatus of various kinds is often mounted on a circuit board device, on which various electrical parts are directly mounted, by means of an electrical connector which is fixed to and connected electrically with the circuit board device. The electrical connector has a plurality of conductive contacts for coming into contact with contacting terminals provided on the flat circuit device and is operative to connect electrically, through the conductive contacts, the contacting terminals provided on the flat circuit device with conductive circuit pattern portions provided on the circuit board device.
One of previously proposed electrical connectors, which is used for mounting a flat circuit device which is, for example, an FPC on a circuit board device, is provided with a housing made of insulator which has an opening through which the flat circuit device is inserted into the housing to be put partially in the housing and is to be mounted on the circuit board device. On the housing, a plurality of conductive contacts are provided to be arranged along a transverse direction of the opening. These conductive contacts are operative to come into contact respectively with a plurality of contacting terminals provided on the flat circuit device which has been inserted into the housing through the opening to be put partially in the housing. The electrical connector is further provided with an actuator which is provided to be rotatable in regard to the housing so as to engage with the flat circuit device put partially in the housing. When the actuator is rotated in regard to the housing under a condition wherein the flat circuit device is put partially in the housing, the flat circuit device is pressed down by the actuator to the conductive contacts arranged on the housing so that each of the conductive contacts is put in press-contact with a corresponding one of the contacting terminals provided on the flat circuit device.
The actuator is formed into a slender shape elongating in a direction along which the conductive contacts are arranged and provided with an engaging portion for engaging with at least a part of the conductive contacts to be supported by the part of the conductive contacts and a pressing portion for coming into contact with the flat circuit device so as to press down the flat circuit device. Then, the actuator is operative to take up selectively a first station to keep rising from the housing and a second station to keep lying down on the housing with its rotational movement in regard to the housing.
Each of the conductive contacts arranged on the housing is made of conductive resilient material to have a connecting terminal portion to be connected electrically, for example, by means of soldering, with a conductive circuit pattern portion provided on the circuit board device on which the housing is mounted and a contacting portion for coming into press-contact with the contacting terminal provided on the flat circuit device. Further, each of the part of the conductive contacts is provided with a supporting portion for coming into engagement with the engaging portion of the actuator so as to support the actuator as a whole. Under such a condition, the actuator is supported with the conductive contacts arranged on the housing to be rotatable in regard to the housing.
In the electrical connector as mentioned above, when the flat circuit device has been inserted into the housing through the opening provided thereon to be put partially in the housing and the actuator is rotated in a predetermined direction from the first station to the second station, the actuator operates to cause the pressing portion thereof to come into contact with the flat circuit device put partially in the housing and to press down the flat circuit device to the contacting portions provided respectively on the conductive contacts, so that the contacting portion of each of the conductive contacts is put in press-contact with the corresponding one of the contacting terminals provided on the flat circuit device. Therefore, the second station which the actuator takes up is a station wherein the actuator is put in press-operation in case the flat circuit device is put partially in the housing.
Then, when the actuator is rotated in a direction opposite to the above-mentioned predetermined direction from the second station to the first station under a condition wherein the contacting portion of each of the conductive contacts has been put in press-contact with the corresponding one of the contacting terminals provided on the flat circuit device, the actuator operates to cause the pressing portion thereof to separate from the flat circuit device put partially in the housing and to cease pressing down the flat circuit device, so that the contacting portion of each of the conductive contacts is released from the press-contact with the corresponding one of the contacting terminals provided on the flat circuit device. Therefore, the first station which the actuator takes up is a station wherein the actuator is released from the press-operation in case the flat circuit device is put partially in the housing.
In the electrical connector thus proposed previously, it is possible for the actuator to be manipulated to rotate from the first station wherein the actuator is released from the press-operation in case the flat circuit device is put partially in the housing to the second station wherein the actuator is put in the press-operation in case the flat circuit device is put partially in the housing under a condition wherein any flat circuit device is not put in the housing. A manipulation for causing the actuator to rotate from the first station to the second station under the condition wherein the flat circuit device is not put in the housing, is hereinafter referred to as a vacancy-press operation.
When the vacancy-press operation has been carried out and then the actuator is caused to rotate from the second station to the first station so that the flat circuit device is able to be inserted into the housing through the opening provided thereon, since the pressing portion of the actuator does not come into contact with the flat circuit device, it is likely that the actuator brings about deflections thereon and thereby the engaging portion of the actuator is disengaged from the supporting portions provided on the part of the conductive contacts to be released from the support by the part of the conductive contacts so that the actuator as a whole loses the support by the conductive contacts arranged on the housing to be separated from the conductive contacts. Especially, in the case where a large number of conductive contacts are arranged on the housing which has the elongated length thereof in the direction along which the conductive contacts are arranged, the actuator is apt to be caused to lose the support by the conductive contacts arranged on the housing so as to be separated from the conductive contacts by the vacancy-press operation and the rotation of the actuator from the second station to the first station carried out after the vacancy-press operation.
Accordingly, there has been also proposed previously an electrical connector comprising a housing made of insulator provided thereon with an opening through which a flat circuit device is inserted into the housing to be put partially in the same, a plurality of conductive contacts arranged on the housing, and an actuator supported by the conductive contacts to be rotatable in regard to the housing, which is so improved that the actuator is prevented from being disengaged from the conductive contacts even when the vacancy-press operation is carried out and then the actuator is caused to rotate from a station wherein the actuator is put in press-operation in case the flat circuit device is put partially in the housing to another station wherein the actuator is released from the press-operation in case the flat circuit device is put partially in the housing under a condition wherein the flat circuit device is not put in the housing, as shown in, for example, the Japanese patent application published before examination under publication number 2001-307805 (hereinafter, referred to as a published Japanese patent document).
In the previously proposed electrical connector shown in the above-mentioned published Japanese patent document, a plurality of first conductive contacts (terminals (10)) and a plurality of second conductive contacts (terminals (20)) are arranged alternately on a housing (1) which is provided to be mounted on a circuit board device and an actuator (a pressurizing member (30)) is provided to be rotatable in regard to the housing (1). The actuator is formed into a slender shape elongating in a direction along which the first and second conductive contacts (10, 20) are arranged and operative to take up selectively a first station (an opening station) to keep rising from the housing (1) and a second station (a closing station) to keep lying down on the housing (1) with its rotational movement in regard to the housing (1) from the first station to the second station or from the second station to the first station.
Each of the first conductive contacts (10) has an upper arm (11), on which a finger-like portion (11A) is provided for engaging with the actuator (30), and a lower arm (12), on which a contacting portion (12B) is provided for coming into contact with a corresponding one of contacting terminals (connecting circuit portions) provided on a flat circuit device (a flexible circuit board (P)) inserted into the housing (1) to be put partially in the same. Further, each of the second conductive contacts (20) has an upper arm (21), on which a slant portion (21A) is provided for engaging with the actuator (30), and a lower arm (22), on which a contacting portion (22A) is provided for coming into contact with another corresponding one of contacting terminals provided on the flat circuit device (P) put partially in the housing (1). The finger-like portion (11A) provided on the upper arm (11) of the first conductive contact (10) is operative to engage with a first engaging portion (31A) provided on the actuator (30) from the upper side of the same and the slant portion (21A) provided on the upper arm (21) of the second conductive contact (20) is operative to engage with a second engaging portion (32A) provided on the actuator (30) from the lower side of the same.
Consequently, the actuator (30) is supported by both of the finger-like portion (11A) provided on the upper arm (11) of the first conductive contact (10) for engaging with the first engaging portion (31A) of the actuator (30) from the upper side of the same and the slant portion (21A) provided on the upper arm (21) of the second conductive contact (20) for engaging with the second engaging portion (32A) of the actuator (30) from the lower side of the same, so as to be rotatable for shifting from the first station to the second station or from the second station to the first station. Therefore, the first engaging portion (31A) and the second engaging portion (32A) provided on the actuator (30) constitute an engaging device provided to be supported by a certain device, and the finger-like portion (11A) provided on the upper arm (11) of the first conductive contact (10) and the slant portion (21A) provided on the upper arm (21) of the second conductive contact (20) constitute a supporting device for supporting the engaging device of the actuator (30).
When the actuator (30) is rotated in regard to the housing (1) from the first station to the second station under a condition wherein the flat circuit device (P) has been inserted into the housing (1) to be put partially in the same, the flat circuit device (P) is pressed down by a pressing portion (a pressurizing portion (33)) provided on the actuator (30) so that each of the contacting portion (12B) provided on the lower arm (12) of the first conductive contact (10) and the contacting portion (22A) provided on the lower arm (22) of the second conductive contact (20) is put in press-contact with the contacting terminal provided on the flat circuit device (P) put partially in the housing (1). Then, when the actuator (30) is rotated in regard to the housing (1) from the second station to the first station under the condition wherein the flat circuit device (P) has been inserted into the housing (1) to be put partially in the same, the pressing portion (33) provided on the actuator (30) is operative to cease pressing down the flat circuit device (P) so that each of the contacting portion (12B) provided on the lower arm (12) of the first conductive contact (10) and the contacting portion (22A) provided on the lower arm (22) of the second conductive contact (20) is released from the condition of press-contact with the contacting terminal provided on the flat circuit device (P) put partially in the housing (1).
With the electrical connector proposed previously as shown in the above-mentioned published Japanese patent document, in which the first and second conductive contacts are arranged alternately on the housing, since the actuator is supported by both of the upper arm of each of the first conductive contacts engaging with the actuator from the upper side of the same and the upper arm of each of the second conductive contacts engaging with the actuator from the lower side of the same, it is expected that the actuator is prevented from being disengaged from the first and second conductive contacts even when the vacancy-press operation is carried out and then the actuator is caused to rotate from the second station to the first station under the condition wherein the flat circuit device is not put in the housing. However, under the above-mentioned condition wherein it is expected that the actuator is prevented from being disengaged from the first and second conductive contacts, there are the following apprehension on manipulation of the actuator.
That is, in the improved electrical connector proposed previously as described above which is provided with the first and second conductive contacts arranged alternately on the housing, the actuator is supported by both of the upper arm of each of the first conductive contacts engaging with the actuator from the upper side of the same and the upper arm of each of the second conductive contacts engaging with the actuator from the lower side of the same, and therefore, in case the actuator has been deformed to warp in a direction perpendicular to the direction along which the first and second conductive contacts are arranged, it is feared that a rotational movement of the actuator is subjected to resistances by the upper arm of each of the first conductive contacts and the upper arm of each of the second conductive contacts so that it is very hard to manipulate the actuator to rotate from the first station to the second station or from the second station to the first station or it is almost impossible to manipulate suitably the actuator to rotate from the first station to the second station or from the second station to the first station.
A situation wherein the actuator is deformed to warp in the direction perpendicular to the direction along which the first and second conductive contacts are arranged, is easily caused in the case where a large number of first and second conductive contacts are arranged on the housing and thereby the length of the actuator is elongated in the direction along which the first and second conductive contacts are arranged. Consequently, the above mentioned apprehension on manipulation of the actuator is easily brought about in the case where the actuator has the elongated length thereof in the direction along which the first and second conductive contacts are arranged.